Method and apparatus for cascaded multi-input content preparation templates for 5G networks

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program, and computer system is provided for content preparation for a 5G network. One or more cascaded content preparation processes are identified. Inputs and outputs associated with the identified cascaded content preparation processes are defined based on a content preparation template. A workflow corresponding to the defined inputs and outputs is generated based on two or more of the identified cascaded content preparation processes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/168,953 (filed Mar. 31, 2021) in the U.S. Patent andTrademark Office, the entirety of which is herein incorporated byreference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to field of data processing, and moreparticularly to 5G networks.

BACKGROUND

3GPP TS26.512 defines the concept of a content preparation template toset up the processing of the media streams before hosting the contentfor streaming. It also defines the content hosting configuration for thedistribution of the content.

SUMMARY

Embodiments relate to a method, system, and computer readable medium forcontent preparation for a 5G network. According to one aspect, a methodfor content preparation for a 5G network is provided. The method mayinclude identifying one or more cascaded content preparation processes.Inputs and outputs associated with the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes are defined based on a content preparationtemplate. A workflow corresponding to the defined inputs and outputs isgenerated based on two or more of the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes.

According to another aspect, a computer system for content preparationfor a 5G network is provided. The computer system may include one ormore processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or morecomputer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructionsstored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for executionby at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of theone or more memories, whereby the computer system is capable ofperforming a method. The method may include identifying one or morecascaded content preparation processes. Inputs and outputs associatedwith the identified cascaded content preparation processes are definedbased on a content preparation template. A workflow corresponding to thedefined inputs and outputs is generated based on two or more of theidentified cascaded content preparation processes.

According to yet another aspect, a computer readable medium for contentpreparation for a 5G network is provided. The computer readable mediummay include one or more computer-readable storage devices and programinstructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storagedevices, the program instructions executable by a processor. The programinstructions are executable by a processor for performing a method thatmay accordingly include identifying one or more cascaded contentpreparation processes. Inputs and outputs associated with the identifiedcascaded content preparation processes are defined based on a contentpreparation template. A workflow corresponding to the defined inputs andoutputs is generated based on two or more of the identified cascadedcontent preparation processes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparentfrom the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Thevarious features of the drawings are not to scale as the illustrationsare for clarity in facilitating the understanding of one skilled in theart in conjunction with the detailed description. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a networked computer environment according to atleast one embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a diagram depicting a system for content preparation beforedownlink streaming, according to at least one embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a diagram of cascaded content preparation processes withmultiple inputs, according to at least one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an operational flowchart illustrating the steps carried out bya program for content preparation for a 5G network, according to atleast one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of internal and external components ofcomputers and servers depicted in FIG. 1 according to at least oneembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative cloud computing environmentincluding the computer system depicted in FIG. 1 , according to at leastone embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of functional layers of the illustrative cloudcomputing environment of FIG. 5 , according to at least one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may beembodied in various forms. Those structures and methods may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Inthe description, details of well-known features and techniques may beomitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

Embodiments relate generally to the field of data processing, and moreparticularly to 5G networks. The following described exemplaryembodiments provide a system, method and computer program for, amongother things, content preparation for a 5G network. Therefore, someembodiments have the capacity to improve the field of computing byallowing for defining content preparation as a cascaded series ofcontent preparation processes, each defined by a content preparationtemplate which accepts one or more inputs.

As previously described, 3GPP TS26.512 defines the concept of a contentpreparation template to set up the processing of the media streamsbefore hosting the content for streaming. It also defines the contenthosting configuration for the distribution of the content. The current5G media streaming architecture defined in 3GPP TS26.501 only definesthe general architecture for uplink and downlink media streaming. 3GPPTS26.512 defines the concept of a content preparation template (CPT) toprepare received content for downlink streaming. However, it doesn'tdefine the process for the content miss with content preparation. It maybe advantageous, therefore, to define content preparation as a cascadedseries of content preparation processes, each defined by a contentpreparation template which accepts one or more inputs.

A 5G media streaming (5GMS) system may be an assembly of applicationfunctions, application servers, and interfaces from the 5G mediastreaming architecture that support either downlink media streamingservices or uplink media streaming services, or both. A 5GMS ApplicationProvider may include a party that interacts with functions of the 5GMSsystem and supplies a 5GMS Aware Application that interacts withfunctions of the 5GMS system. The 5GMS Aware Application may refer to anapplication in the user equipment (UE), provided by the 5GMS ApplicationProvider, that contains the service logic of the 5GMS applicationservice, and interacts with other 5GMS Client and Network functions viathe interfaces and application programming interfaces (APIs) defined inthe 5GMS architecture. A 5GMS Client may refer to a UE function that iseither a 5GMS downlink (5GMSd) Client or a 5GMS uplink (5GMSu) Client,or both.

The 5GMSd Client may refer to a UE function that includes at least a 5Gmedia streaming player and a media session handler for downlinkstreaming and that may be accessed through well-defined interfaces/APIs.The 5GMSu Client may refer to an originator of a 5GMSu service that maybe accessed through well-defined interfaces/APIs. A 5GMSu media streamermay refer to a UE function that enables uplink delivery of streamingmedia content to an Application Server (AS) function of the 5GMSApplication Provider, and which interacts with both the 5GMSu AwareApplication for media capture and subsequent streaming, and the MediaSession Handler for media session control.

A dynamic policy may refer to a dynamic policy and charging control(PCC) rule for an uplink or downlink application flow during a mediasession. An egest session may refer to an uplink media streaming sessionfrom the 5GMS AS towards the 5GMSu Application Provider. An ingestsession may refer to a session to upload the media content to a 5GMSdAS. A policy template may refer to a collection of (semi-static) Policyor Control Function (PCF)/Network Exposure Function (NEF) API parameterswhich are specific to the 5GMS Application Provider and also theresulting PCC rule. A policy template ID may identify the desired policytemplate, which is used by the 5GMSd Application Function (AF) to selectthe appropriate PCF/NEF API towards the 5G system so that the PCF cancompile the desired PCC rule. The Media Player Entry may refer to adocument or a pointer to a document that defines a media presentation(e.g., a media presentation description (MPD) for DASH or a uniformresource locator (URL) to a video clip file). A Media Streamer Entry mayrefer to a pointer (e.g., in the form of a URL) that defines an entrypoint of an uplink media streaming session. A presentation entry mayrefer to a document or a pointer to a document that defines anapplication presentation, such as an HTML5 document.

A Provisioning Session may refer to a data structure supplied at aninterface (Mid) by a 5GMSd Application provider that configures the5GMSd features relevant to a set of 5GMSd Aware Applications. A 5GMSdMedia Player may refer to a UE function that enables playback andrendering of a media presentation based on a media play entry andexposing some basic controls such as play, pause, seek, stop, to the5GMSd Aware Application. Server Access Information may refer to a set ofparameters and addresses (including 5GMSd AF and 5GMSd AS addresses)which are needed to activate the reception of a streaming session. AService and Content Discovery may refer to functionality and proceduresprovided by a 5GMSd Application Provider to a 5GMS Aware Applicationthat enables the end user to discover the available streaming serviceand content offerings and select a specific service or content item foraccess. A Service Announcement may refer to procedures conducted betweenthe 5GMS Aware Application and the 5GMS Application Provider such thatthe 5GMS Aware Application is able to obtain 5GMS Service AccessInformation, either directly or in the form of a reference to thatinformation.

A third party player may refer to a part of an application that usesAPIs to exercise selected 5GMSd functions to play back media content. Athird party uplink streamer may refer to a part of an application thatuses APIs to exercise selected 5GMSu functions to capture and streammedia content

Aspects are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrationsand/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computerreadable media according to the various embodiments. It will beunderstood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or blockdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrationsand/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable programinstructions.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a functional block diagram of a networkedcomputer environment illustrating a content preparation system 100(hereinafter “system”) for content preparation for a 5G network. Itshould be appreciated that FIG. 1 provides only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environments may be made based on designand implementation requirements.

The system 100 may include a computer 102 and a server computer 114. Thecomputer 102 may communicate with the server computer 114 via acommunication network 110 (hereinafter “network”). The computer 102 mayinclude a processor 104 and a software program 108 that is stored on adata storage device 106 and is enabled to interface with a user andcommunicate with the server computer 114. As will be discussed belowwith reference to FIG. 4 the computer 102 may include internalcomponents 800A and external components 900A, respectively, and theserver computer 114 may include internal components 800B and externalcomponents 900B, respectively. The computer 102 may be, for example, amobile device, a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a netbook, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or any type ofcomputing devices capable of running a program, accessing a network, andaccessing a database.

The server computer 114 may also operate in a cloud computing servicemodel, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service(PaaS), or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), as discussed below withrespect to FIGS. 5 and 6 . The server computer 114 may also be locatedin a cloud computing deployment model, such as a private cloud,community cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud.

The server computer 114, which may be used for content preparation for a5G network is enabled to run a Content Preparation Program 116(hereinafter “program”) that may interact with a database 112. TheContent Preparation Program method is explained in more detail belowwith respect to FIG. 3 . In one embodiment, the computer 102 may operateas an input device including a user interface while the program 116 mayrun primarily on server computer 114. In an alternative embodiment, theprogram 116 may run primarily on one or more computers 102 while theserver computer 114 may be used for processing and storage of data usedby the program 116. It should be noted that the program 116 may be astandalone program or may be integrated into a larger contentpreparation program.

It should be noted, however, that processing for the program 116 may, insome instances be shared amongst the computers 102 and the servercomputers 114 in any ratio. In another embodiment, the program 116 mayoperate on more than one computer, server computer, or some combinationof computers and server computers, for example, a plurality of computers102 communicating across the network 110 with a single server computer114. In another embodiment, for example, the program 116 may operate ona plurality of server computers 114 communicating across the network 110with a plurality of client computers. Alternatively, the program mayoperate on a network server communicating across the network with aserver and a plurality of client computers.

The network 110 may include wired connections, wireless connections,fiber optic connections, or some combination thereof. In general, thenetwork 110 can be any combination of connections and protocols thatwill support communications between the computer 102 and the servercomputer 114. The network 110 may include various types of networks,such as, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN) such as the Internet, a telecommunication network such as thePublic Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a wireless network, a publicswitched network, a satellite network, a cellular network (e.g., a fifthgeneration (5G) network, a long-term evolution (LTE) network, a thirdgeneration (3G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network,etc.), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, a fiberoptic-based network, or the like, and/or a combination of these or othertypes of networks.

The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in FIG. 1 areprovided as an example. In practice, there may be additional devicesand/or networks, fewer devices and/or networks, different devices and/ornetworks, or differently arranged devices and/or networks than thoseshown in FIG. 1 . Furthermore, two or more devices shown in FIG. 1 maybe implemented within a single device, or a single device shown in FIG.1 may be implemented as multiple, distributed devices. Additionally, oralternatively, a set of devices (e.g., one or more devices) of system100 may perform one or more functions described as being performed byanother set of devices of system 100.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, a diagram 200A of content preparation beforedownlink streaming is depicted. In a collaboration use case, the 5GMSdApplication Provider requests content preparation for its stream beforedistribution. In a content preparation use-case, the content is providedby the Application Provider through M2d. One option is to pull thecontent from Application Provider using the HTTP pull-based ingestprotocol defined in 3GPP TS 26.512. Then the content is prepared fordistribution as defined in the Content Preparation Template (CPT) andlast, the distribution happens based on Content Hosting ConfigurationTemplate (HCT), both set by the Application Provider.

Each HCT may include one or more CPTs, each defined in its DistributionConfigurations. However, the HCT shall include only one IngestConfigurations. Therefore, each input media track needs one CHT and mayhave one or more CPTs, one for each distribution configuration. A CPTmay create one or multiple output tracks.

One most common use-case of multimedia streaming is when there existsone track of the audio and one track of the video. If CPT needs tocreate a manifest for this content, then the outputs of two CPTs need tobe integrated with a single manifest for this audio-visual content.

In a content hosting configuration with multiple ingests, multipleIngest Configuration (IC) may be enabled for an HCT. To identify themfrom each other, a unique identifier may be added to each IC. The scopeof this uniqueness in the parent HCT. For a content preparation templatewith multiple inputs, the IC's ids may be added to the contentpreparation template (CPT). This allows a CPT to have more inputs thanone. Therefore, a more complex content preparation can be performedbased on multiple inputs. For cascading content preparation outputs, acontent preparation's input may be defined as another contentpreparation's output. This enables cascading multiple contentpreparation processes and even create a workflow out of two or morecontent preparation processes. As an example, the input for a contentpreparation may be defined as the output for another contentpreparation. To achieve the above, a unique ID may be defined for eachinput and output of every CPT. Then a CPT input may be defined asanother CPT's output. The connection between two CPTs is defined with anIngest Configuration (IC). Therefore, the HCT may include an IC that isused to connect a CPT's output to another CPT's input.

Referring now to FIG. 2B, a diagram 200B of cascaded content preparationprocesses with multiple inputs is depicted. Content preparationprocesses (CPP) CPP1 and CPP2 are used for video and audio processingrespectively. Each of these processes may create one or more video/audiooutputs that are stored in the cache/storage. For creating a singlemanifest for the content that describes both audio and video components,a third content preparation process CPP3 is used that received itsinputs from the CPP1 and CPP2 and provides its output to thecache/storage.

Each content preparation process is defined by one content preparationtemplate (CPT1, CPT2, and CPT3). CPT3 defines two inputs and its inputsare tied to the CPT1 and CPT2 outputs respectively. CPT3 may create oneor more manifests (in different formats such as DASH and HLS, or withdifferent media codes and/or profiles).

The content preparation template's inputs are tied to an ingest or oneoutput of another content preparation template using the assigned ids.

The following Table 1 may show definitions ofContentHostingConfiguration resources:

TABLE 1 Data Property name Type Cardinality Description name String 1 .. . 1 A name for this Content Hosting Configuration. IngestConfigurationArray 1 . . . 1 Describes the 5GMSd Application (Object) Provider'sorigin server from which media resources will be ingested via interfaceM2d. id String 1 . . . 1 The unique identifier for this configuration.path String 1 . . . 1 The relative path which will be used to addressthe media resources at interface M2d. This path is provided by the 5GMSdAF in the case of Push-based ingest. pull Boolean 1 . . . 1 Indicateswhether to the 5GMSd AS shall use Pull or Push for ingesting thecontent. protocol URI 1 . . . 1 A fully-qualified term identifier Stringallocated in the name space urn:3gpp:5gms:content-protocol thatidentifies the content ingest protocol. The set of supported protocolsis defined in clause 8. entryPoint String 1 . . . 1 An entry point toingest the content. The semantics of the entry point are dependent onthe selected ingest protocol. In the case of Push ingest (pull flag isset to False), this parameter is returned by the 5GMSd AF to the 5GMSdApplication Provider and indicates the entry point for pushing thecontent. In case of Pull (pull flag is set to True), the entryPointshall be provided to the 5GMSd AF to indicate the location from whichcontent is to be pulled. In this case, the entryPoint shall be used asthe base URL. A request received by the 5GMSd AS is mapped to a URLusing the provided base URL to fetch the content from the origin server.DistributionConfigurations Array 1 . . . 1 Specifies the distributionmethod and (Object) configuration for the ingested content. More thanone distribution may be configured for the ingested content, e.g. tooffer different distribution configurations such as DASH and HLS.ingestId Array 1 . . . 1 The array of IngestConfiguration's (Object)that are used in this distribution configuration. contentPreparationArray 0 . . . 1 Indicates that content preparations (object) prior todistribution is requested by the 5GMSd Application Provider.contentPreparationId String 0 . . . 1 Indicates that content preparationprior to distribution is requested by the 5GMSd Application Provider. Itidentifies the Content Preparation Template that shall be used asdefined in clause 7.4. input Array 1 . . . 1 The array of Contentpreparation (object) template input which defines the connection foreach input. id string 1 . . . 1 This input's ids which each is uniquebetween all inputs id, outputs id, content preparation ids and ingestids. connectedId string 1 . . . 1 The ingestId or outputId which isconnected to this input. OutputId Array 1 . . . 1 The array of Contentpreparation (string) template output ids which unique between all inputsid, outputs id, content preparation ids and ingest ids.canonicalDomainName String 1 . . . 1 All resources of the currentdistribution shall be accessible through this default FQDN assigned bythe 5GMSd AF. domainNameAlias String 1 . . . 1 The 5GMSd ApplicationProvider may assign another FQDN through which media resources areadditionally accessible at M4d. This domain name is used by the 5GMSd ASto select an appropriate Server Certificate to present at M4d, and toset appropriate CORS HTTP response headers at M4d. If this property ispresent, the 5GMSd Application Provider is responsible for providing inthe DNS a CNAME record that resolves domainNameAlias tocanonicalDomainName. PathRewriteRules Array 0 . . . 1 An ordered list ofrules for rewriting (Object) the request URL paths of media resourcerequests handled by the 5GMSd AS. If multiple rules match a particularresource's path, only the first matching rule, in order of appearance inthis array, shall be applied. requestPathPattern String 1 . . . 1 Aregular expression against which the path part of each 5GMSd AS requestURL, including the leading “/”, and up to and including the final “/”,shall be compared. (Any leaf path element following the final “/” shallbe excluded from this comparison.) In the case of Pull-based ingest, theM4d download request path is used in the comparison. In the case ofPush-based ingest, the M2d upload request path is used in thecomparison. In either case, if the request path matches this pattern,the path mapping specified in the corresponding mappedPath shall beapplied. mappedPath String 1 . . . 1 A replacement for the portion ofthe 5GMSd AS request path that matches requestPathPattern. In the caseof Pull-based ingest, IngestConfiguration.entryPoint is concatenatedwith the mapped path and any leaf path element from the original M4ddownload request to form the M2d origin request URL. In the case ofPush-based ingest, canonicalDomainName (and, optionally,domainNameAlias) are concatenated with the mapped path and any leaf pathelement from the original M2d upload request to form the distributionURL(s) exposed over M4d. CachingConfigurations Array 0 . . . 1 Defines aconfiguration of the (Object) 5GMSd AS cache for a matching subset ofmedia resources ingested in relation to this Content HostingConfiguration. urlPatternFilter String 1 . . . 1 A pattern that will beused to match media resource URLs to determine whether a given mediaresource is eligible for caching by the 5GMSd AS. The format of thepattern shall be a regular expression. CachingDirectives Object 1 . . .1 If a urlPatternFilter applies to a resource, then the providedCachingDirectives shall be applied by the 5GMSd AS at M4d, potentiallyoverwriting any origin caching directives ingested at M2d.statusCodeFilters Array 0 . . . 1 The set of HTTP origin response(integer) status codes to which these CachingDirectives apply. Thefilter shall be provided as a regular expression. If the list is empty,the CachingDirectives shall apply to all HTTP origin response statuscodes at M2d. noCache Boolean 1 . . . 1 If set to True, this indicatesthat the media resources matching the filters shall not be cached by the5GMSd AS and shall be marked as not to be cached when served by the5GMSd AS at M4d. maxAge Integer 0 . . . 1 The caching time-to-liveperiod that shall be set on ingested media resources matching thefilters. This determines the minimum period for which the 5GMSd AS shallcache matching media resources as well as the time-to-live periodsignalled by the 5GMSd AS at interface M4d when it serves such mediaresources. The time-to-live for a given media resource shall becalculated relative to the time it was ingested. GeoFencing Object 0 . .. N Limit access to the content to the indicated geographic areas.locatorType URI 1 . . . 1 The type of the locators shall be Stringindicated using a fully-qualified term identifier URI from thecontrolled vocabulary urn:3gpp:5gms:locator-type, as specified in clause7.6.4.6, or else from a vendor-specific vocabulary. locators Array 1 . .. 1 Array of locators from which access (String) to the resources is tobe allowed. The format of the locator strings shall be determined by thevalue of locatorType, as specified in clause 7.6.4.6. UrlSignatureObject 0 . . . 1 Defines the URL signing scheme. Only correctly signedand valid URLs will be allowed to access the content resource at M4d.urlPattern String 1 . . . 1 A pattern that shall be used to match M4dmedia resource URLs. The 5GMSd AS shall not serve a matching mediaresource at M4d unless it includes a valid authentication token. Theformat of the pattern shall be a regular expression. tokenName String 1. . . 1 The name of the M4d request query parameter that the MediaPlayer should use to present the authentication token when required todo so. passphraseName String 1 . . . 1 The name of the query parameterthat is used to refer to the passphrase when constructing theauthentication token. Note that the token is not included in thecleartext part of the M4d URL query component. passphrase String 1 . . .1 The shared secret between the 5GMSd Application Provider and the 5GMSdAS for this DistributionConfiguration. The passphrase is used in thecomputation and verification of the M4d authentication token but isnever sent in-the-clear over that interface. tokenExpiryName String 1 .. . 1 The name of the M4d request query parameter that the Media Playershould use to present the token expiry field. useIPAddress Boolean 1 . .. 1 If set to True, the IP address of the UE is included in thecomputation of the authentication token for resources that matchurlPattern and access to matching media resources shall be allowed bythe 5GMSd AF only when the M4d request is made from a UE with this IPaddress. ipAddressName String 0 . . . 1 The name of the M4d requestquery parameter that is encoded as part of the authentication token ifthe useIPAddress flag is set to True. Note that the IP address is notpassed in the cleartext part of the M4d URL query component.certificateId String 0 . . . 1 When content is distributed using TLS,the X.509 certificate for the origin domain is shared with the 5GMSd AFso that it can be presented by the 5GMSd AS in the TLS handshake at M4d.This attribute indicates the identifier of the certificate to use.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , an operational flowchart illustrating thesteps of a method 300 carried out by a program for content preparationfor a 5G network is depicted.

At 302, the method 300 may include identifying one or more cascadedcontent preparation processes.

At 304, the method 300 may include defining inputs and outputsassociated with the identified cascaded content preparation processesbased on a content preparation template.

At 306, the method 300 may include generating a workflow correspondingto the defined inputs and outputs based on two or more of the identifiedcascaded content preparation processes.

It may be appreciated that FIG. 3 provides only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to howdifferent embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to thedepicted environments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 of internal and external components ofcomputers depicted in FIG. 1 in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. It should be appreciated that FIG. 4 provides only anillustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitationswith regard to the environments in which different embodiments may beimplemented. Many modifications to the depicted environments may be madebased on design and implementation requirements.

Computer 102 (FIG. 1 ) and server computer 114 (FIG. 1 ) may includerespective sets of internal components 800A,B and external components900A,B illustrated in FIG. 5 . Each of the sets of internal components800 include one or more processors 820, one or more computer-readableRAMs 822 and one or more computer-readable ROMs 824 on one or more buses826, one or more operating systems 828, and one or morecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 830.

Processor 820 is implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination ofhardware and software. Processor 820 is a central processing unit (CPU),a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU),a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component. In someimplementations, processor 820 includes one or more processors capableof being programmed to perform a function. Bus 826 includes a componentthat permits communication among the internal components 800A,B.

The one or more operating systems 828, the software program 108 (FIG. 1) and the Content Preparation Program 116 (FIG. 1 ) on server computer114 (FIG. 1 ) are stored on one or more of the respectivecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 830 for execution by one ormore of the respective processors 820 via one or more of the respectiveRAMs 822 (which typically include cache memory). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4 , each of the computer-readable tangible storagedevices 830 is a magnetic disk storage device of an internal hard drive.Alternatively, each of the computer-readable tangible storage devices830 is a semiconductor storage device such as ROM 824, EPROM, flashmemory, an optical disk, a magneto-optic disk, a solid state disk, acompact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, acartridge, a magnetic tape, and/or another type of non-transitorycomputer-readable tangible storage device that can store a computerprogram and digital information.

Each set of internal components 800A,B also includes a R/W drive orinterface 832 to read from and write to one or more portablecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 936 such as a CD-ROM, DVD,memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk orsemiconductor storage device. A software program, such as the softwareprogram 108 (FIG. 1 ) and the Content Preparation Program 116 (FIG. 1 )can be stored on one or more of the respective portablecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 936, read via the respectiveR/W drive or interface 832 and loaded into the respective hard drive830.

Each set of internal components 800A,B also includes network adapters orinterfaces 836 such as a TCP/IP adapter cards; wireless Wi-Fi interfacecards; or 3G, 4G, or 5G wireless interface cards or other wired orwireless communication links. The software program 108 (FIG. 1 ) and theContent Preparation Program 116 (FIG. 1 ) on the server computer 114(FIG. 1 ) can be downloaded to the computer 102 (FIG. 1 ) and servercomputer 114 from an external computer via a network (for example, theInternet, a local area network or other, wide area network) andrespective network adapters or interfaces 836. From the network adaptersor interfaces 836, the software program 108 and the Content PreparationProgram 116 on the server computer 114 are loaded into the respectivehard drive 830. The network may comprise copper wires, optical fibers,wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computersand/or edge servers.

Each of the sets of external components 900A,B can include a computerdisplay monitor 920, a keyboard 930, and a computer mouse 934. Externalcomponents 900A,B can also include touch screens, virtual keyboards,touch pads, pointing devices, and other human interface devices. Each ofthe sets of internal components 800A,B also includes device drivers 840to interface to computer display monitor 920, keyboard 930 and computermouse 934. The device drivers 840, R/W drive or interface 832 andnetwork adapter or interface 836 comprise hardware and software (storedin storage device 830 and/or ROM 824).

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,some embodiments are capable of being implemented in conjunction withany other type of computing environment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring to FIG. 5 , illustrative cloud computing environment 500 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 500 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Cloud computingnodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 500 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and that cloud computingnodes 10 and cloud computing environment 500 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring to FIG. 6 , a set of functional abstraction layers 600provided by cloud computing environment 500 (FIG. 5 ) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layersand corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and Content Preparation 96. ContentPreparation 96 may define content preparation as a cascaded series ofcontent preparation processes, each defined by a content preparationtemplate which accepts one or more inputs.

Some embodiments may relate to a system, a method, and/or a computerreadable medium at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer readable medium may include a computer-readablenon-transitory storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry outoperations.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program code/instructions for carrying out operationsmay be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA)instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions,microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration datafor integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code writtenin any combination of one or more programming languages, including anobject oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or thelike, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programminglanguage or similar programming languages. The computer readable programinstructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on theuser's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logicarrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions byutilizing state information of the computer readable programinstructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order toperform aspects or operations.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer readable media according to variousembodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or blockdiagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions,which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). The method, computer system, and computerreadable medium may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in theFigures. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently orsubstantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It willalso be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orcarry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, described herein, maybe implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software. The actual specialized controlhardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methodsis not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behaviorof the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference tospecific software code—it being understood that software and hardwaremay be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on thedescription herein.

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items(e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related andunrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one ormore.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

The descriptions of the various aspects and embodiments have beenpresented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Even thoughcombinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed inthe specification, these combinations are not intended to limit thedisclosure of possible implementations. In fact, many of these featuresmay be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/ordisclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listedbelow may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of possibleimplementations includes each dependent claim in combination with everyother claim in the claim set. Many modifications and variations will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe scope of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein waschosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practicalapplication or technical improvement over technologies found in themarketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of content preparation for a 5G mediastreaming (5GMS) network, executable by a processor, comprising:identifying one or more cascaded content preparation processes; defininga configuration of inputs and outputs associated with the identifiedcascaded content preparation processes based on a content preparationtemplate (CPT), wherein a unique configuration id is associated withsaid configuration of inputs and outputs, and wherein each CPT has morethan one ingest configurations; and generating a workflow correspondingto the defined configuration of inputs and outputs based on two or moreof the identified cascaded content preparation processes.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein unique identifiers correspond to each of the inputsand the outputs.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputs aredefined by an ingest configuration having a defined address andprotocols.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputs are defined byan ingest configuration having a defined address and protocols.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising processing one or more audio andvideo inputs from among the inputs by a content preparation process fromamong the identified cascaded content preparation processes.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising generating a manifest foraudiovisual content based on providing audio and video outputsassociated with the one or more audio and video inputs to a contentpreparation process from among the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio andvideo outputs correspond to different formats, different media codecs,or different profiles than the audio and video inputs.
 8. A computersystem for content preparation for a 5G media streaming (5GMS) network,the computer system comprising: one or more computer-readablenon-transitory storage media configured to store computer program code;and one or more computer processors configured to access said computerprogram code and operate as instructed by said computer program code,said computer program code including: identifying code configured tocause the one or more computer processors to identify one or morecascaded content preparation processes; defining code configured tocause the one or more computer processors to define a configuration ofinputs and outputs associated with the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes based on a content preparation template (CPT),wherein a unique configuration id is associated with the saidconfiguration of inputs and outputs, and wherein each CPT has more thanone ingest configurations; and generating code configured to cause theone or more computer processors to generate a workflow corresponding tothe defined configuration of inputs and outputs based on two or more ofthe identified cascaded content preparation processes.
 9. The computersystem of claim 8, wherein unique identifiers correspond to each of theinputs and the outputs.
 10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein theinputs are defined by an ingest configuration having a defined addressand protocols.
 11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the outputsare defined by an ingest configuration having a defined address andprotocols.
 12. The computer system of claim 8, further comprisingprocessing code configured to cause the one or more computer processorsto process one or more audio and video inputs from among the inputs by acontent preparation process from among the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes.
 13. The computer system of claim 12, furthercomprising generating code configured to cause the one or more computerprocessors to generate a manifest for audiovisual content based onproviding audio and video outputs associated with the one or more audioand video inputs to a content preparation process from among theidentified cascaded content preparation processes.
 14. The computersystem of claim 13, wherein the audio and video outputs correspond todifferent formats, different media codecs, or different profiles thanthe audio and video inputs.
 15. A non-transitory computer readablemedium having stored thereon a computer program for content preparationfor a 5G media streaming (5GMS) network, the computer program configuredto cause one or more computer processors to: identify one or morecascaded content preparation processes; define code configured to causethe one or more computer processors to define a configuration of inputsand outputs associated with the identified cascaded content preparationprocesses based on a content preparation template (CPT), wherein aunique configuration id is associated with said configuration of inputsand outputs, and wherein each CPT has more than one ingestconfigurations; and generate code configured to cause the one or morecomputer processors to generate a workflow corresponding to the definedconfiguration of inputs and outputs based on two or more of theidentified cascaded content preparation processes.
 16. The computerreadable medium of claim 15, wherein unique identifiers correspond toeach of the inputs and the outputs.
 17. The computer readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the inputs are defined by an ingest configurationhaving a defined address and protocols.
 18. The computer readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the outputs are defined by an ingest configurationhaving a defined address and protocols.
 19. The computer readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the computer program is further configured to causeone or more computer processors to process one or more audio and videoinputs from among the inputs by a content preparation process from amongthe identified cascaded content preparation processes.
 20. The computerreadable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer program is furtherconfigured to cause one or more computer processors to generate amanifest for audiovisual content based on providing audio and videooutputs associated with the one or more audio and video inputs to acontent preparation process from among the identified cascaded contentpreparation processes.